Device for lifting assembly elevators



April 12,1927. 1,624,119

C. E. J. SEMKENS DEVICE FOR LIFTING ASSEMBLY ELEVATORS- Filed June 23, 1924 Patented Apr. 12, 1927. V l

CLIFFORD E. J. SIMKINS OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

DEVICE FOR LIFTING ASSEMBLY ELEVATORS.

Application filed June 23, 1924. Serial No. 721,635.

My invention relates to linotype machines, 1nd more particularly to a device for lifting the assembly elevator of a linotype machine by power instead of manual means.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a mechanism of the character de scribed that may be activated by the depression of a key similar in sensitiveness to the matrix keys of a linotype machine.

Another object is to provide a device for lifting an assembly elevator that may complete its cycle of operation when activated, without causing destructive movement of the elevator if jammed thru any cause.

My invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself 20 to the showing made by the said description as I may adopt variant forms of my invention within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device as applied to a standard linotype machine, a portion of the assembly elevator being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in section and elevation of a portion of my device.

The commercial linotype machine is an automatic mechanism which is activated by amanually operated key-board characterized by the ease with which the keys are depressed. The only manual labor necessary in the normal operation of the machine being the raising of the assembly elevator by means of a hand lever at the side of the key-board to permit the matrices to be transferred from the elevator to the casting mechanism. In order to relieve the machine operator of this manual eflort and its resultant fatigue I have provided the mechanism which is the subject of this application.

Detachably secured to the base 4 of the linotype key-board by a suitable bolt 6, is a bracket or frame 7 and journaled on a stud shaft 8 threaded into the bracket, is a pulley 9 driven by the belt 3 from a suitable pulley on the shaft of the matrix selecting mechanism. The pulley 9 is formed with a sleeveextension 11 provided with a replaceable rim 12 of any suitable non-slip material such as a rubber ring formed with a ribbed surface. The pulley and its non-slip extension may be retained on the shaft 8 by suitable washers and a screw 13.

The bracket 7 also provides a mounting for a lifting arm 14 which is pivoted at one end on a shaft 16 journaled in a boss 17 formed on the bracket and having a head 86 for retaining the lifting arm thereon. The free end of the lifting arm 14 passes thru a vertically adjustable slotted guide 18, arranged on the bracket, the ends of the slot forming stops to limit the vertical movement of the arm.

The free end of the lifting arm is adapted to be intermittently vertically reciprocated from its rest position at the bottom of the slotted guide by means the operation of which is initiated at the will of the operator.

Suitably journaled on the lifting arm 14 above the pulley 9 and in parallel axial relation thereto is a cam 19 formed with serrated faces 21 and a counterweighted portion 22. The counterweighted portion 22 while in rest position, is adapted to lie to one side of a vertical line passing thru the axis of rotation of the cam, so that the cam tends to rotate in the direction of the arrow a Fig. 1. The cam is divided into three sectors of difierent radial dimension, namely the lift sector 23 which comprises the counterweighted portion 22, the supporting sector 24 and the return sector 26. The supporting sector 24 is of constant'radius while the lift and return sectors vary.

The counterweighted cam is held against rotation and resultant contact with the nonslip surface 12 of the pulley by a pin 27 projecting from the side of the counterweighted lift sector 23, and which rests against the top surface of a slide latch 28 mounted for reciprocation on the arm 14 adjacent its fulcrum.

The slide latch is held in position by a cap screw 29 passing thru a slot therein and 1 secured in the arm, and is provided with a cut-away portion 31 in its top surface corresponding in width to an arcuate slot 32 formed in the inside face of the lifting arm and thru which the pin 27 may pass when 105 the cam rotates.

In order to allow the pin 27 to pass thru the slot in the lifting arm and permit rotation of the cam, the cut-away portion 31 of the slide latch must be brought into register with the slot in the arm.

Formed in the front face of the slide latch 28 adjacent the fulcrum of the lifting arm is a slot 33 adapted to receive a pin 34% eccentrically disposed on the face of the shaft head 36, so that rotation of the shaft 16 reciprocates the slide latchi On the end of the shaft 16 opposite the lifting arm, is secured a gear 88which also forms a collar secured to the shaft by the pin 25 so as to hold'the parts together.

Pivotally mountedintermediate its ends on the back of the casting by means of a pin 39, is a lever 11 provided at one end with a rack 12, adapted to mesh with the gear 38, and at its opposite end with a key 43, which lies adjacent the keyboard of the linotype machine. The lever is normally held with the key in raised position by means of a coil spring 44:, and the movement of the lever is limited bya suitable stop 416. V

depressing the key 413, a half revolution of the shaft 16 is effected thru the rack 12 and pinion 38. The eccentric pin 34: will therefore rotate thru an arc of 180, and bearing against the side of the slot 33, will move the latchto bring the cutaway por-v tion 31 thereofintoregister with the slot 32 and thus release the cam, the pin 27 passing thru the aligned slots, as the cam falls into engagement with the continuously rotating non-slip surface 12 of the pulley'9. Thecam will then rotate in the direction of the arrow (4, raising the free end of the lift- 7 ing arm 1 1 to its limit of movement in the slotted guide 18 as the lifting face of the cam engages the pulley. The lifting arm will be momentarily maintained in this position while the supporting face 2st of the cam passes'over the pulley, and will then be rapidly'lowered as the return sector 26 of the cam comes into contact with the pulley. The final return movement of the lifting arm will be accompanied by an increased speed of rotation of the cam as the end of the return sector in contact with the pulley is reached, due to the decreased diameter of the cam at this point, thus giving sufficient momentum to the cam to throw the counterweighted sector past top center when the lifting a-rm comes to rest against the bottom of the slotted guide 18, and the serrated face of the cam is disengaged from the pulley. The lever 11 has meanwhile been released by the operator and the spring 4 1 has effected its return to normal position against the stop pin 46, thus causing return rotation of the shaft 16 thru the rack and pinion, and the resetting of the latch thru the eccentric pin andslot, so that the rotation of the cam is arrested by the pin 27 coming into contact with the top surface of the latch.

Means are provided for connecting the free end of the'lifting arm to-the assembly elevator of the linotype machine so that under normal conditions the elevator will be lifted by the arm, but whichlmeans will become inoperative if unusual resistance, sufficient to cause breaking, is met by the arm.

Arranged between the lifting arm 14 and the assembly elevator 17 are a pair of links 4.8 and 4.9 hinged. together by a pin connec tion 51 and eachpivotally secured at its opposite end, the'link 18 by a pin 52 to the assembly elevator 17, and the link'49by a pin 53 to thefree end of the lifting arm 1 1.

The links in position to operably connect the free end of the lifting arm with the assembly elevator, as illustrated in Fig. 1, are misaligned so that the hinge'pin 51 lies slightly to'one side of a line drawn between thepivot pins 52 and 53. Exact alignment. of the links is prevented by abutting lugs 54 and 56 formed on the links adjacent the hingepin, and a torsion spring-57 arranged on the hinge pin and having its free'ends engagin similar sides of eachlink normally holds thelugs in contact. The degree of misalignment of the'links is so proportioned to the normal load stress on the links when the assembly elevator is being lifted that the torsion spring may overcome the'bendlng fort required is negligible in a single or a few operations, that difference, multiplied during the court-3e of the days work bymany hundreds, may be expressed in terms of a verv'tiring stress on the operator. It is the elimination of this unnecessary strain and fatigue which is the chief justification for my invention.

I claim:

1.111 a device for lifting .an assembly elevator, a rotatable shaft, a lifting arm connected to said elevator, a fixed stop for limiting the downward movement of said lifting arm, cam means operated by said shaft for lifting said arm from said stop, key' controlled means for establishing an operative connection between said cam means and said shaft and for interrupting said operative connection automatically Whensaid arm is lowered, and means operable within predetermined load limits for connecting said arm to said assembly elevator.

2. In a device for lifting an assembly elevator, a rotatable shaft, cam means operated by said shaft operatively connected to said elevator, and a slidable latch for preventing an operative connection between said cam means and said shaft.

3. In a device for lifting an assembly elevator, a rotatable shaft, a lifting arm connected to said elevator, a cam on said arm, key controlled means for effecting the engagement of said cam and said shaft and for 15 interrupting said engagement automatically when saiddifting arm is lowered, and a pair of tensionally controlled misaligned links for connecting said lifting arm to said as sembly elevator.

4. In a device for lifting an assembly elevator, a rotatable shaft, a lifting arm connee-ted to said elevator, cam means operated by said shaft for lifting said arm, and a latch carried by said arm for preventing an operative connection between said cam means and said shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CLIFFORD E. J. SIMKINS. 

